Let her finish the story first.
“You aren’t fond of Deaghlan,” Saoirse said, looking at me, her eyes knowing. “He has a difficult personality most of the time.” She laughed softly. “No one knows that more than me. But I have known him longer than you can probably fathom. We grew up together, the best of friends. I always hoped he would be my bond-mate, my partner. He didn’t feel the same toward me. When I found out we were to be bonded, it was like a dream come true. For Deaghlan, it was like being bound forever to his little sister.”
I sat in stunned silence. Saoirse, the beautiful, enigmatic leader of the Tuatha De Danaan, loved Deaghlan. And he didn’t return her feelings.
“Ah, Allison. I see that look. Do not pity me. I am not human, therefore I am not a slave to my emotions. I only tell you this so you understand why I indulge Deaghlan.”
Still unable to find the right thing to say, I simply nodded.
“Niamh, have I ever told you about my grandparents -- Manannán and Fand?”
“Not very much, Mother.”
“Well, Manannán loved Fand. He gave her every luxury, anything she desired was hers if she just asked him for it.
“They ruled in Tír na n’Óg for thousands of years. In those days, war between the clans of this realm was a part of life. My grandfather spent much of his time away in battle.”
“There are other clans?” I asked.
Saoirse’s lips pressed together. “Not anymore. The Danaans are few, but the other clans haven’t been heard from in more than two thousand years.
“My grandmother would go to the human realm while my grandfather was away. She fell in love with a man who, like Samantha, was from a Danaan and human coupling.
“When the Danaan armies my grandfather led defeated our greatest enemies, the Fomorians, he was weary. As you know, our kind do not die of old age. But when we have lived long enough to grow jaded with this world, our people move on to Magh Mell, across the Aimsirean Sea.
“My grandfather asked my grandmother to retire with him to Magh Mell, but she wouldn’t go. He knew it was because of her feelings for another man. In a fit of jealousy, he wiped her memories of this man. Once their daughter, my mother, was settled as queen, they sailed across the sea, never to return.
“I believe the time has come for Deaghlan and I to make the journey to Magh Mell. He has refused, saying he’s not ready. Unlike my grandmother, I don’t think he hesitates for love. I’ve looked at the ways our future could play out, and there are only two ways I’ll be able to convince him to join me. The first is if I use magic, like my grandfather.” She paused, waiting for a reaction, but neither Niamh nor I said anything.
“The second is if Niamh is properly bonded and ready to be queen.”
Niamh stood slowly, not taking her eyes off her mother. Her expression was a blank mask.
“Properly bonded to whom?” she asked.
Saoirse smoothed the material of her gown, unperturbed. “It is your duty as the first born princess, Niamh. You know that.”
“That’s not what I asked, Mother. I asked to whom?”
“I’ve accepted Aodhan’s offer to restore our land, in part because I want him to prove his worthiness to your father.”
“You’re playing games with him?” Niamh’s spine stiffened. “Father nearly killed him.”
“He wouldn’t have,” Saoirse said, brushing her off.
“Even if Aodhan were to agree to it, he couldn’t be king. He’s not Danaan.”
Saoirse tilted her head to the side, and when she spoke her voice was calm but firm. “Must I remind you who is queen?”
Niamh began pacing, her golden hair trailing behind her. A tiny thread of fear showed in her eyes.
“Aodhan has just spoken the first few words to me in decades, Mother. If you propose this to him now, he’ll think it’s my idea.”
Saoirse stood and glided over to Niamh. “My darling,” she said softly. “My plans are not so impulsive as that.”
“What do you have in mind?” Niamh asked.
“Come sit. Let me show you what I’ve seen.”
Niamh followed Saoirse back to the bench and sat. Saoirse raised her arms toward the pool, causing the water to churn. As she closed her eyes, mist rose from the surface. With a sudden motion, her hands dropped back down. The mist disappeared and the water was smooth like glass. A vision came to the surface.
It was of a gently sloping hillside at night with people milling around everywhere. An enormous bonfire was on top of the hill with smaller fires and torches lit all over the landscape. I walked up the hill with Ethan and Liam. We were searching for something, but I couldn’t make out what we were whispering to each other over the sounds of drumming and the crackling fires.